Devices for connecting a load to a parachute



J n- 3, 156 L.. G. DEJEAN DEVICES FOR CONNECTING A LOAD TO A PARACHUTE Filed 001.. 1a, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan- 3, 1956 L. e. DEJEAN I DEVICES FOR CONNECTING A LOAD TO A PARACHUTE Filed 001.. 16, 1951 DEVICES FOR CONNECTING A LOAD TO A r 'IARACHUTE Lucien G. Dejean, Paris, France, assignor to Societe Nationale de Constructions Aeronautiques du1Sud-Guest (Societe Anonyme), Paris, France,a company of France Application October 16 1 951, Serial 'l'flo.]25 1; 527 Claims priority, application France October 23, use

9 Claims. Cl. 294-33 The present invention relates to improvements in automatic load releasing connectors for,;pa'rachutes land has particular reference to connector devices of the type including two slidably associated members to,b e connected respectively to the {load and to the parachute, balls cooperating with appropriate recesses and forming latching means for preventing separation of {the two members, a spring urging said members to such arelative position that the balls are no longer in latchingstate, and locking means for securingthe members together and keeping the spring under stress the arrangement being such that the sudden pull exerted by the load as the parachute opens up causes the members to be unlocked, thejdrag of the load then keeping the spring under stress,-so that, as soon as the drag' of the .load cancels, as the load hits the ground, the spring brings about release of the connector device.

In conventional devices of .this type, therev is always 1 a danger of untimely release during descent of the parachuted load. 1 1' However such devices bear a serious drawback. When the parachute opensythe transfer of the weight of the load thereto takes 'place in a rather sudden manner, and thus the parachute-slings resiliently extend, then; acting as springs; they entail arebound of the ,load. ,Toward the end of this rebound, the pull exerted by the load can drop to a valu'e"lower='than the stress' ofzthe spring and the two members maywhecome unlatched thus causing the load to fall freely. V 1

The main objectuf'the'present invention is to provide a connector 'd'evice'of" the above "type, which "will :onl release when the dragexerted by the load eventually cancels, as thedoad'hitsmhe" ground, bufWhiCh will'inot release iflhe drag "casually" decreasesflor cancels, just after the parachute 'opens'up. i

In general terms, the connector device, according to the invention, includes movable abutting means cooperating with damping means, such as a dash-pot, having a piston-like part forming a movable stop for one of the two component members of the connector device, and a cylinder-like part associated with the other component member, the volume bounded by said parts being filled with a fluid such as a liquid or air.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

Fig. 1 is an axial section of a device including a liquid containing dash-pot.

Fig. 2 is a similar section of a further embodiment including an air containing dash-pot.

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are fragmentary sections showing embodiment in course of operation.

The devices shown in Figs. 1 and 2 comprise a tubular casing 1 closed, at its upper end, by a hollow threaded plug or cylinder 2 carrying an eye 3 designed for connection to a parachute. A generally cylindrical rod 4 is slidably fitted into the lower part of the casing 1 and is provided at its bottom end with a fork-joint 5 designed for connection to a load. In both embodiments, the rod this 2,729,495 @Patented .Ian. 3, 1956 2 Ahasan-axial duct 4a and the .two flanges. ofztheeitorkjoint 5 are symmetricallyglocated about this duct. ,Toward its {top end, the rod 4gis formed with a fcircumferen a1--.g o e 6, ton rlu a ity o sp al rec ssesr siap .edt he e aged bit-ha ls]. .Th tt r: eurg dyt spr n .1 thr ugh a ring 19 in rted ,therebetwe n' and freelysliding around therod 4.'

When the deyicesare in the position showninfigs. 11

and 2, t halls17 re;seeured, y th restricted bore 11a o the casing in h igreov s Ihatth rod Acannot h ee ene i om the cas ng h i f th sp h g l wed 1 e pe d, the b l each the i p rt ans lth s elease h e 11 .hich,

n su jec d t ns Z The ring-9 has a shoulder which prevents an excessive pullexerted, in opposite directions, on the connecting members 3 and 5, from pausing complete crushing of the springs, as this would impairits proper operation.

h a mov apar rom the eas- Indeed, when the pull reaches a certainvalue, the shpulder of the ring 9 abuts against aishoulder 1c of the casing 1.

In-the embodiment of Fig. l, the plug Z'cornprises a cylindrical bore Ziijalfing the longitudinal-axis of the casing 1 and inside which a piston 21 can slide. vThis piston is provided With 'a stem 21a arranged across a plug 22 closing the boreZt). This bore is entirelyyfilled with liquid and liquid-tight joints 23, 24 and .25 ensure tightness of this-bore.

The piston is urged towards thetop of the ,r'igure, b y a spring 26. .It is crossed by a narrow, calibrated duct '27allowing the liquid to fiow between its two faces. Balls 28 are .held between the outer face of the plug 22 and a support member 2 9 having an axial dnct an d being trictionallyengaged into the axial :duct 3,0 ofthe rod-4.

Inthe position shown in Fig. l, theball s28 are held, win t t pr ssu .Q Q TE bYthe spr n n the one-hand in spherigal housings 31 located on the :outer .fee f"t .-n1 s2 ,'an o .the er h nd in j 'c i ll t erp toni-red 21 o r t; e pis n 21, sp t of the fa t 'it is urged by the spring 26, cannot move, owing to'the presence of the balls 28 in the groove 32. v

-When, iasxtheparaohute opens up, ;a,sudden @pull is ferent a eev a l ated in t ici y-10f the nd at ex rt d ehthi rode, e sp in s 'cempress dthe balls "-2. er -ii era dartde htethe .ea i sil- Hencatth .n sten l thy th spr ng ass rts moving owing to the presence of the liquid, towards the top of the figure. As long as this displacement is not completed, the two parts of the device cannot move apart since, even if the pull exerted in opposite directions on the members 3 and 5 happens to disappear, the stem 4 abuts against the end of the rod 21a. Therefore, as long as this stem is not retracted, the balls 7 cannot reach the widened portion 1b.

For assembling this device, an auxiliary threaded rod 34 is used, which is provided with a shoulder which presses against the rim 29a of the boring through the upper part of the member 29. This rod is screwed into the threaded cavity 33 and allows of securing the support member 29 to the end of the stem 21a. It is thus possible to fit up the balls 28 which are held in position owing to the force exerted by the spring 26. The upper part 2 of the device together with the balls 28 and the support member 29, can thus be assembled. The lower part of the device having been independently fitted up, the upper part is then screwed to this lower part, and the auxiliary threaded rod 34 removed.

The embodiment shown in Fig. 2 is similar to that of Fig. 1 as regards the upper part. The plug 2 again comprises a cylindrical bore 47 inside which a piston 48 can auxiliary plug 50 closing-the lower part of the bore 47.

This plug is crossed by the piston-stem 48a which bears a circumferential groove 51 intowhich balls 52 are'engaged. The hollow rod 4 ends with a frusto-conical cup I 53 which, owing to the pressure of the springs, is pressed against the balls 52 in the position of rest shown in Fig. 2. The piston 48 held by the balls which are thus chocked up, cannot as a result, at rest, move under, the influence of the spring 49. These same balls prevent the rod 4 from rising and hence the balls 7 from getting loose.

When the parachute opens up, the rod 4 (see Fig. 3) is subjected. to a pull which drags it down, so that the balls 52 are disengaged from the groove 51. The piston 48 can then move under the influence of the spring 49. However, the balls 52 remain enclosed in the annular space, around the stem 48a, included between the lower face of the plug 50 and the cup 53. In particular, the rim 50a of the lower face of the plug 50 prevents the balls 52 from entering the widened portion 1b.

Hence, as it may be seen in Fig. 4, even if the pull on the rod 4 completely disappears, the latter cannot move sufliciently upwards for liberating the balls 7.

When the piston 48 reaches the end of its stroke (see Fig. the balls 52 run out of the device by passing through the axial duct inside rod '4, The upward movement of the rod 4 becomes therefore possible and the 'device operates as indicated above.

For fitting up this device, a threaded bore 54 is provided at the end of the stem 48a, this allowing of introducing an auxiliary rod into the axial duct of rod 4 for moving the piston 48 to the fitting up position. The plug 2 may then be screwed on the casing 1, either in the position shown in Fig. 2 or in the reverse position.

In the embodiment of Fig. 1, when the pull exerted on the members 3 and 5 cancels, the stem 21a directly undergoes the thrust exerted by the rod 4. It is therefore necessary that the bore 20 contains an incompressible fluid. On the contrary, in the embodiment of Fig. 2, the thrust of the rod 4 is exerted on the balls 52 as long as these balls have not fallen through the duct 4a. The fluid inside the bore 47 is merely used in this case for braking the piston 48 during its upward motion. It is therefore possible to use atmospheric air in the bore, as damping fluid.

What I claim is:

1. The combination with a connector device of the type comprising a tubular casing, a slidable member extending into said casing, means associated with the casing and the member to lock same in certain relative positions thereof and to release the member from the casing when the member is moved inwardly of the casing to a predetermined position, and means within the casing engaging said member and tending to move it inwardly of said casing to said predetermined position, of a retarding device for limiting inward displacement of said member, comprising a cylinder forming an extension of said casing and having a closed end, a piston movable inside said cylinder and cooperating with said member to prevent displacement thereof to said predetermined position when said piston is remote from said end and to permit displacement of said member to said predetermined position when said piston is proximate to said end, means for urging said piston toward said end, anda fluid inside said cylinder between said end and said piston to damp the motion of said piston.

2. The combination of claim 1, wherein the fluid is atmospheric air.

3. The combination of claim 1, further comprising passage means through the piston for allowing flow of said fluid therethrough at a predetermined rate.

4. The combination of claim 3, wherein the fluid is a liquid.- V

5. The combination of claim 8, wherein the inner end of the slidable member has a surface inclined toward the longitudinal passage.

6. The combination of claim 1, further comprising means connecting the casing and the piston to lock said piston in a position remote from said end of the cylinder.

7. The combination of claim 6, wherein the means for locking the piston to the casing include a part immovable with respectto the casing, a stem integral with the piston and having a recessed surface, and a ball engaging said recessed surface and chocked up between said part and the inner end of the slidable member urged inwardly of the casing.

8. The combination of claim 7, wherein the slidable member includes a longitudinal passage and the stem freely engages the walls of said passage.

9. The combination of claim 1, wherein a portion of the piston is adapted to prevent displacement of the member through direct abutting engagement therewith.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS w t y. t 

